Nobody in the world
by Vaniwa
Summary: [PUT ON HOLD] By accident Ava Davis was thrown into the supernatural world, all by a simple clumsy accident. How will she handle this, however? And what is it with her trying to desperately cover up her past?
1. Pleasure meeting you

**Nobody in the world**

 **Chapter 1: Pleasure meeting you**

 _ **Author's note: I own nothing except for my mistakes.**_

Her medium length, brown hair clung to her face as her arms desperately moved around. And then the cold hard ground hit her. "Curse you, gravity." She groaned and with a sigh she pushed herself up, sitting up straight on the ground.

"Are you okay?" A voice in front of her spoke. She cleaned her hands from the dirt and the stones by rubbing them together and she then pushed her hair away from her face.

Two sets of legs stood in front of her and she slowly looked up, feeling the blood slowly rise to her cheeks as embarrassment hit her.

She cleared her throat awkwardly and gave a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Just the stupid wind and gravity knocking me over." The black haired guy chuckled and it was impossible for her to miss his immensely beautiful bright blue eyes. Her eyes then drifted slowly to the brown haired guy who smiled at her comfortingly and reached out his hand to her.

She gratefully took it and winced a little as she was lifted off the ground. There was for sure something wrong with her ankle.

"No! My trousers!" She whimpered as she saw the condition of her new, white pants. The left knee was half torn and the right upper leg had a big smear of dirt all over it.

The brown haired guy released a soft chuckle, "It's not the end of the world." She released a humorless laugh as she released how much she was acting like a girl and then wiped her clothes off from the dust. "I know, but I just bought these pants yesterday."

She stuck her hand out to the brown haired guy, and as he took it she introduced herself. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ava Davis." The brown haired guy smiled at her, "Nice to meet you too, Ava. I'm Stefan Salvatore."

Ava then stuck her hand out to the black haired guy, which he took with a pained expression on his face. "Damon Salvatore."

"Great meeting you too, Damon." Ava said sarcastically.

"Are you new here in town?" Stefan asked and Ava's face lit up with a smile, "Yes, I recently moved here for work." She said and then quickly added, "I'm a photographer."

"Well, I'm sure we all had an amazing chit-chat, but we're a little short on time, right, brother?" Damon said with an overly done smile and Stefan nodded.

"I'll probably see you around town sometime, Ava. And if I were you, I'd have that ankle checked up." Stefan said, nodding to her ankle that was awkwardly positioned to take the pain off it. "I will, thank you. Have a great day!"

And with that, the two brothers left and Ava looked helplessly around her, taking the town map out of her bag as she looked for the location of the hospital.

"The Mystic Grill. This can't be right." Ava mumbled as she read the sign above the building aloud. With a sigh she folded her map and placed it back in her bag and entered the building, deciding to go to the bar figuring they'd be more useful than the map.

A blonde haired guy with baby blue eyes greeted her and asked how he could help her. "I'm looking for the hospital. Do you by any chance know where I could find it? I tried with the map but I suck at reading directions." Ava laughed and the blonde haired guy chuckled, "It's 15 minutes away from here. You basically get out of the Mystic Grill right here and turn right and then it's almost straight on."

Ava's jaw dropped. "I just came back from there! You got to be joking. The hospital must have been right behind me." She let out a frustrated sigh, "Anyway, thank you.." she read the name tag on his shirt, "Matt."

"No problem." He said with a smile and then moved on to the next customer.

Ava pushed her hair backwards and let out a hopeless sigh. She couldn't walk any further, her legs couldn't carry her anymore, especially not for another fifteen minutes.

"Come on, I'll take you." Ava whirled around at the sudden voice behind her and saw someone sitting at the bar, sipping on his drink. "Damon, right?" She said in surprise.

The guy nodded and then stood up. "You don't have to, I'll manage. But thanks anyway." She said and then hopped away on one leg, thinking to herself why it couldn't be the nice brother she'd cross paths with.

"I can see that." He said amused from behind her and then all of a sudden she was swept off her feet and found herself in a pair of arms. "You know, for someone who was so reluctant to shake my hand, picking me up bridal style is a bit ambivalent." Ava said as she was carried outside and then placed in his car.

"Look, the only reason why I'm doing this is because my brother would kill me if he knew I'd have you walk off like this." Damon spoke and then hopped in the car as well, starting the engine and driving to the hospital.

"How come you didn't notice the hospital anyway?" He said in confusion, "It's right in front of your eyes." He said as he pointed at the building that was now in front of them.

"Yes, well.. I was in a different position and the trees covered the building." Ava stumbled on her words as she realized that was a very lame excuse.

He picked her up out of the car again and carried her inside the hospital, where the receptionist directed them to a doctor.

After a quick check up, it was clear her ankle wasn't broken, just slightly swollen and it would take off if she'd take it easy for a few days and would try to keep the moving to a minimum.

"Thank you, Damon." Ava said as he so kindly dropped her off at her house. "No problem." He said with a forced smile and turned around when a car stopped behind him and a female voice spoke as the window rolled down, "Damon? What are you doing here?" In front of them a girl with long brown hair came out of the car and neared the two of them.

"Just dropping this girl off." Damon said with another forced smile and the girl's eyes drifted to Ava, and with a surprised look, she stuck out her hand and Ava shook it. "I'm Elena Gilbert, a friend of Damon." The girl said and Ava smiled politely, "Great meeting you, Elena. I'm Ava Davis."

"Are you new to town here? I don't recall ever seeing you around before." Elena said and Ava chuckled, having heard that question many times since she moved to Mystic Falls. Everyone really does know everyone.

"Yes, I am. Moved here a week ago." Ava smiled and Elena nodded with a smile and then turned her head to Damon, looking somewhat distrustful and then looked back at Ava. "So, how did you two meet?"

Ava let out an embarrassed laugh, "I met him and his brother today when I so clumsily fell face to the ground. Damon was kind enough to help bring me to the hospital when we coincidentally met at the Mystic Grill again."

Elena gave a slow nod with a smile, "Well, since you're new around here, would you like me to show you around town sometime? When your ankle is all better and all." She said as she cast a brief look at Ava's ankle, not needing any explanation that was the reason she went to the hospital.

Ava's face lit up, "I'd love to, how about we exchange phone numbers so I can call you when I'm all healed?" Ava suggested and with that, they quickly exchanged phone numbers and Ava bid her goodbye to both Elena and Damon and watched as they both took their separate ways into the night.

Ava went inside her house and warmed up some leftovers in the microwave and quickly shoved it inside. She took a quick shower and made sure to clean her scratches and then sighed in relief as she finally made it into bed. Although, cringing a few seconds later as her ankle got stuck behind her blanket.

With a groan she leaned off the bed and grabbed a sock from under it and carefully put it over her hurt foot, and then, taking the extra pillow besides her, she carefully placed her bad ankle on top of the pillow and then turned her lights off.

Tonight seemed to be one of those nights again where she could simply not fall asleep. No matter how hard she tried.

A soft click was heard in the complete silentness of the house and Ava froze in her bed, holding her breath as she listened to the faint sound. Another click was heard and it sounded very much alike of a door closing.

Panicking, she reached for her phone on the night stand and as fast as she could, she got out of her bed and quietly made her way over to the bathroom.

Not knowing why, she instantly called Elena. A croaky voice came over the end, " _Ava? What's the matter?"_ Ava's voice shook as she spoke as quiet but as clear as she possibly could, "Elena? I think someone is in my house right now."

This seemed to wake Elena up instantly, _"I'll call Stefan, he'll come and help you. Just stay hidden and don't panic, okay?"_ Faint sounds of footsteps were heard and she knew the intruder was making his way up.

Tears started to fall from her eyes, "Hurry." She whispered and with that, the phone call ended and Ava closed her eyes, not wanting to believe this was happening.

The tears seemed unable to stop rolling from her eyes, one of her biggest childhood fears came to life and she was scared to death.

This time, a louder bang was heard and Ava whimpered and covered her mouth with her hand as she tried to muffle the sound of her crying.

With one turn on the doorknob, she was hit with a light and she couldn't help but scream as loud as she could. This was it, he had found her and there was nothing she could do to defend herself.

As she opened her eyes she screamed again in shock as there were two people instead of one. But when she blinked the tears from her eyes, her view became focused and she could make out the two individuals. Damon and Stefan.

With an immense relieved heart, more tears started to fall. Knowing she was finally safe again. "Oh, thank God." She breathed out and Stefan walked up to her, grabbing her gently by the arms and pulling her up carefully. "It's okay, you're okay. We're here, you're safe." Stefan comforted and she immediately wrapped her arms around him as she felt her body shake from adrenaline.

After she had calmed down, they brought her to bed and she jumped up a little when she heard yet another person coming into the house. "It's okay, it's Elena." Stefan said and with relief, Ava relaxed her body.

"Would you like me to get you some water?" Stefan asked and Ava nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. Stefan left the room and after a silent minute she finally looked at Damon, "The man.." her voice cracked and she coughed once and wanted to continue but Damon seemed to get where she was going at. "He's taken care of, he won't bother you anymore."

Ava's eyes widened, "Did you kill him?"

"What? No, of course not. I just, gently _told_ him to leave." Damon unconvincingly said and made Ava wonder why he stretched the word told so much. But she was good enough knowing she didn't have a dead body laying in her house.

Elena entered the room and immediately wrapped her arms around Ava. "Thank god, you're okay." She said and Ava nodded and took the glass of water from Stefan who just walked in. "Thank you, all of you." She said and they all shrugged it off, saying they were happy to help.

"I don't know why I called you first, Elena. I know I should have called the police. I wanted to, but somehow my fingers had already pressed your number." Ava said and Elena smiled, "No need to be sorry, I'm glad you called me."

Ava smiled and took a sip of her water, slowly feeling the tiredness catching up with her after all the adrenaline left her body. "Damon, you should stay with her tonight. Elena and I would love to, but we have somewhere else to be at the moment." Stefan said and Ava raised her eyebrow in surprise, "At this hour?"

"Urgent business." Stefan politely smiled and Ava nodded, deciding not to ask further as not to mingle with their business.

Damon nodded in understanding and Ava bid her goodbye to Stefan and Elena, thanking them once again for helping her out. And as they left, she turned to Damon. "You don't have to stay, I will manage." Ava said, trying to control her shaking voice.

"I see you're one of those people who have trouble accepting help." He said and pulled a chair that stood in the corner of her room closer to her bed. "Just go to sleep, Ava." Damon said with a serious face and with a sigh, she gave in. Pulling her legs into bed and positioning her ankle on the pillow again. "Goodnight, Damon." She said and with one last look into his eyes, she turned off the lights and found herself quickly falling asleep.


	2. How did you know

**Nobody in the world**

 **Chapter 2: How did you know**

 _ **Author's note: I own nothing except for my mistakes.** Also, I forgot to mention that this story takes place at season 6. However, I'm not actively following the story events. Since it isn't necessary for my story. I also re-uploaded the first chapter to fix some stupid grammar mistakes. So, no need to check it out. There is nothing new in there. Now, let's get on with the story, shall we?_

"Rise and shine, pumpkin." Ava groaned and slowly opened her eyes, releasing a loud scream as Damon hung right over her head. When she had calmed down, she roughly smacked his arm, "Damon!" Ava yelled angrily but all Damon did was just smirk as he leaned back again.

"Made you breakfast." He said as he held up the plate with waffles. Ava yawned and awkwardly came up to sit up straight, wiggling as she tried to move her ankle.

She gratefully took the plate and thanked him, and he sat down again. Ava looked up and stared into his gorgeous eyes with no expression and after a few seconds of silence she said: "Are you just going to sit there and stare?"

Damon nodded with a smirk, "Pretty much, yes." Ava raised her eyebrows in awkwardness and slowly nodded, focusing back on the waffles. "Okay.." she mumbled and then quickly took a bite, trying not to make a sound of satisfaction at how good it tasted. "This is great!" She said with a smile and he smiled a little. "Well, what can I say, I had a lot of practice."

"Are you a cook?" Ava guessed but Damon shook his head, "I'm currently not working. Just enjoying life." He said with a big smile and Ava nodded understandingly. "Life is too short not to live it to its fullest anyway." She said and finished her waffle.

"That's why I chose to become a photographer. You get to work without actually working. I can visit places and get payed for it." She said and Damon nodded in understanding as well. 

"Look, I'm really grateful for what you and your brother did last night, but really, you can go now if you want, Damon. I feel way safer already, so thank you for that." Damon nodded and then stood up, "Stefan's on his way, wanted a few words with you."

Ava's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, "Why?" Damon smirked, "I don't know, why don't you ask him. See you." And with that, he disappeared out of the room.

With a sigh, Ava slowly got out of bed, hopping on one leg to the bathroom and she took a quick shower of a few minutes, not knowing how long it would take Stefan to be here. Ava quickly put on some clothing, a simple pair of black jeans with a warm comfy grey sweater. After all, it was autumn, and the cold started to return.

As for the makeup, she only put on some mascara and did her hair up in a messy ponytail. She heard a car pull up on her driveway and figured it must be Stefan, so she carefully walked off the stairs and when she was down, the doorbell rang.

She opened the door with a smile but it soon fell off her face when she saw it wasn't Stefan. There stood a guy with a broad smirk on his face, "Hello, sister." Ava's heart started to race and quickly pushed the door close, but as expected he was stronger than her, and hearing one last bang, she was knocked out and darkness consumed her.

With a loud groan she woke up, reaching her hand to her head that was aching painfully. As she opened her eyes, her vision was a little blurry, but it soon focused again. She tried to make out where she was. Living room, that much was clear. Feeling the soft fabric underneath her indicated she must be lying on her couch. Ava fixed her gaze right in front of her, and there her brother sat, tied to one of her dining chairs, in front of her fireplace.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Ava looked to her left in surprise and saw Stefan standing over there. Thank god, he seemed to have arrived in time to save her from her brother. Her eyes drifted to the right and there she saw Damon, sitting on her dining table, a thick worry line crossed on his face, every feature on it turning dead serious.

"I'm.. okay, I guess." Ava said, answering Stefan's question. Her eyes drifted back again to her brother tied up, he seemed to be unconscious. "Ava, do you by any chance know this guy?" Stefan gently asked as he took a seat next to her on the couch.

Ava swallowed, "Yes, I do. He's my older brother, Jason." Damon quickly rose up, and neared the two of them. "Your brother? As the guy who just tried to break into your house last night?" He said and Ava's eyes widened in surprise, "What?"

Stefan released a sigh and Ava could catch him shooting a disapproving glare at Damon and then turned to Ava. "What does your brother want from you, Ava?" Stefan asked but Ava averted her eyes, "What he wants from me doesn't matter. What we should wonder, however, is how he found me."

"What do you mean, how he found you? Why are you running away from him?" Damon said, clearly confused.

Ava shook her head and stood up and was about to walk to the kitchen when she noticed the blood on Damon's t-shirt, "Did he fight you?" Ava asked and Damon looked down at the blood and then back up again, "More like danced around like a ballerina and then got his ass whooped." Damon smirked and Ava shook her head, releasing a humorless laugh.

She continued her walk to the kitchen and took a knife out of the drawer and walked back to the living room. "All jokes aside, he needs to die." Ava said, trying to sound as confident as she could but silently freaking out on the inside.

Stefan rose up, "I think you should give that a second thought, Ava." Ava's eyes drifted to Stefan and as she was distracted Damon quickly grabbed the knife out of her hands. "I'll keep that one for safe keeping." He said with a smile and Ava sighed in frustration.

"Look, guys. I really appreciate all of this, but I have to do this. You don't know what my brother did to me, to my family. I have to kill him. I am so sick of running. You don't have to be a witness of this, you could just give me back my knife and I'll handle this." Ava said and waited in silence as the two brothers made eye contact. She saw them nod at each other and Damon walked away, putting back the knife and took the wooden plank that stood against the wall, waiting to be thrown away.

He walked over to the two of them again, Ava following his every move, wondering what he was up to. Damon broke the plank in two and stood right in front of Ava.

His face came nearer and she could feel his breath starting to tickle her neck. She closely looked into his eyes, and she felt her breathing becoming irregular and her heart speeding up with the closeness of his presence. Damon smirked and pushed the wooden piece against her stomach, and Ava grabbed it.

He then slowly backed away, keeping his respective distance. "You might want to try it with this, pumpkin. Aim straight for the heart." Damon said and Ava's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why with this wood? Why not with the knife, that doesn't make sense, Damon."

"Should have done your research. If you did, you would have known that only a wooden stake can kill a _vampire_." Damon smugly said and his face turned into a huge smirk. He knew. They both knew. But how in the world did they know about the existence of vampires?


	3. A new beginning

**Nobody in the world**

 **Chapter 3: A new beginning**

 _ **Author's note: I own nothing except for my mistakes.**_

Ava's eyes widened at Damon, "Excuse me?" She asked but he scoffed, "Don't play dumb, Ava. We all know he's a vampire, no surprises there. Now, what are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to kill him." Damon said and Ava sighed, figuring she'd interrogate the two of them later to ask them how the hell they knew.

Damon was right, though. She did want to kill him, and now was the perfect opportunity. She took a few awkward steps forward, dragging her ankle with her. With a slightly shaking hand, she grasped the wooden stake tightly in her hand and making up her mind, she quickly moved forward with her hand, but dropped the stake as Jason's eyes shot open and he bit her in her arm.

With a loud scream, she tried to fight him off of her but obviously failed. A sudden wave of air from both sides came her way and all of a sudden the Salvatore brothers were by her side, Stefan snapping Jason's neck and Damon grabbing Ava by her arms, helping her stay up as she tried to progress what just happened.

Ava looked to her right at Damon and tears immediately started to fall out of her eyes as fear overtook her body, making her heart beat at overdrive as she saw his veins protruding under his eyes, the white of his eyes turning a bright red, making his blue eyes pop out even more. And then the thing she feared most of all appeared, the fangs.

For a second she thought he was about to attack her, but instead he bit down on his wrist and held it up to her, his face quickly returning normal again. Ava frighteningly took a step back, her ankle snapping and she fell down to the ground, crawling her way back. "Stay away from me." Ava said, her voice shaking.

She saw the wooden stake laying on the ground, right beside her and quickly grabbed it, pointing it at Damon. "Ava," Stefan said and with a shaking hand she now pointed the stake at Stefan. He raised his hands, showing mercy. "His blood will heal you, please drink it." Stefan pleaded but Ava shook her head as she sniffed, blinking the tears out of her eyes.

"Don't come near me." Ava yelled as Damon took a step forward. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you die, pumpkin." Damon nodded at Stefan and once again she felt the wave of air besides her. The stake was knocked out of her hand and Damon's wrist was brutally pushed against her mouth, forcing her to drink his blood.

After a few gulps, she disgustingly pushed his arm away and wiped the blood away from her mouth. She looked at her right arm and noticed how it was suddenly healed, only the blood remaining on her arm from the previous bite. Ava also noticed that the pain in her ankle disappeared and when she moved it around, it didn't hurt at all anymore.

The Salvatore brothers took their distance and Ava stayed there on the ground, not knowing what to do or say. They clearly proved they were vampires as well, but had no intention of killing her. Yet. "What do you want from me." Ava said scared and she looked at Stefan as he started to talk. "What we want, is for you to be safe, Ava. We're not going to hurt you."

Her eyes drifted to Damon and he nodded convincingly, "Now, mister handsome over here won't stay unconscious for long anymore. It's now or never, pumpkin." Ava wiped away her tears and nodded, grabbing the stake off the ground again and standing up, now smoothly being able to use her ankle again.

With a little more confidence, she walked over to Jason and in one swift motion she jammed the stake through his heart. She watched as all his veins protruded and his body turned an unpleasant grey colour.

"You want to tell me what he was doing here now?" Stefan asked as she took her seat back on the couch again, processing all that had happened over such a short period of time. "He murdered them all. My family. When he first transitioned, he was still living with all of us and I woke up late at night to the screaming of my parents. My siblings heard as well, but they made their way down faster than I did." Ava said without any emotion in her voice, staring in front of her, focusing intensely on the picture of her family that hung above the fireplace.

"When I came downstairs, I saw blood covering the entire kitchen floor, and both my parents laid there on the ground, all the life drained out of them. Then a few feet away from my parents, laid my four year old sister, a huge bite wound on her neck." Ava swallowed away the tears and continued her story as best as she could.

"And then when I looked up, I saw my six year old brother's small body laying motionless in Jason's arms as his mouth was attached to his neck. I can clearly remember his eyes looking pitch black with the combination of his red and brown eyes, the soft living room light making his veins pop out even more. His monstrous fangs sunken in my little brother as a stream of blood made its way down my little brother's neck." By this time the two brothers had both taken a chair from the dining table and now sat in front of her, listening attentively. Both of their expressions dead serious as they listened to her every word.

"I tried to run before it was too late, but of course I didn't make it further than opening the back door that was only a few feet away. I screamed as I felt his teeth sink into my neck, feeling the rough tugging as I felt all my blood leaving my body." Ava removed her hair from her left shoulder and showed them the two dots on her neck, where years ago Jason's fangs had bitten into.

Ava swore she could hear Damon growl, but she let it slip as she continued with what she was saying. "All I know is after that, I passed out. Jason must have run away, thinking I was dead, not knowing my neighbors heard the screaming and having called the police as they saw our entire family dead on the ground. The police found out I was somehow still alive, brought me to a hospital and gave me blood."

Ava stood up and walked over to the photograph, running her finger over it with a sad smile on her face. She then turned around to look at the two brothers again. "I woke up a day after only to find out I was already assigned to an orphanage. Well, I didn't really feel like risking other innocent people, in case Jason would find out I survived and wanting to kill me in fear I might be telling people about his dark secret."

"So as soon as I was able to move around again, I ran. Mind you, I was only fifteen years old at the time. I didn't have any money, and sure as hell no plan. But somehow I managed to grab a plane, and flew from England to America, figuring he wouldn't find me that way. Boy, was I wrong. I had just settled into my new life when a year later he managed to find out I was still alive, and I knew it wouldn't take him long to figure out where I was going. So I moved from Georgia to Virginia, not a big move but I figured that a small move would be less expected than a big move." Ava spoke and took her seat back once again on the couch.

"I moved several places in Virginia, and after three years of solid moving, I decided to make a stop in Mystic Falls." Ava sighed and looked at Stefan with a sad expression, "And that, Stefan, is why Jason was here. To kill me so I couldn't tell on him. That is my story." The boys were silent for a while and then Stefan put his hand on her leg. "I am so sorry to hear what happened to you, Ava. But I promise you, that as long as you are with us, you shall not be harmed. By no one, we will promise you that."

Ava smiled briefly and then released a tired sigh, "I do believe you're telling the truth, Stefan. I really do. But you have got to understand that I have a not so pleasant history with vampires. I'm not saying I don't want you all in my life, assuming Elena is a vampire as well, but I need some time for myself. To deal with all that happened, to come to the realization that I don't have to live my life in fear anymore." Stefan nodded understandingly but Damon was about to object but Ava cut him off.

"I am so grateful for the two of you for keeping me alive. We only met yesterday, but so many things happened and you two managed to keep me safe nonetheless. So, thank you." Stefan smiled, "No need to thank us, Ava. How about we'll give you our phone number so you can call one of us when you're ready to talk?" He suggested and Ava smiled gratefully, "That'd be great, thank you, Stefan."

And so they all exchanged phone numbers, them saying they'd take care of the body and leaving her behind in a mess that needed to be cleaned.

Ava let out a loud sigh as she picked up the wooden pieces and then threw them away into the garden. She put the chairs back at the dining table and cleaned the minor blood spots.

A buzzing sound was heard and Ava looked over her shoulder at her phone laying on the table. She looked at the message, ' _I heard what happened, are you okay?'_ The text message was from Elena. Not really feeling like answering it now, she ignored the message and decided she would go out for a walk.

Ava grabbed her black leather jacket and threw it on, wrapping the grey scarf around her neck and slipping into her black Chelsea boots. She grabbed the house keys off the hooks and closed the door behind her as she breathed in the fresh autumn air.

Autumn was for sure one of her favorite seasons. The air was nice and cool, making her feel refreshed every time she took a step outside.

She walked a short moment near her house and then decided to get back inside. As she was walking, however, her mind started to drift to what happened previously and she decided that running away isn't something she wanted to do anymore. So that meant confronting what she was avoiding: the Salvatore's and Elena.

As she entered her house, she threw off her jacket and scarf and took off her shoes and then walked over to her phone texting to Elena: ' _Yes, just need a little moment to figure everything out for myself. I'll call you when I'm done figuring it out, okay?'_

It didn't take long for Elena to text her back: ' _Of course, call me anytime. Good luck, Ava!'_ Ava smiled, maybe they weren't all that bad indeed. She'd give the whole vampire matter a second chance. Or at least, she'd give those three a second chance.

Ava spent most of her day letting her mind run over the vampires, and multiple times tried to distract herself by watching either a movie or reading a book. Which worked surprisingly well because when she looked at the clock in the kitchen, she saw it was already nearing six pm.

After a moment of contemplating, she picked up her phone and went to her contacts, clicking on Damon's number. The phone started to dial the number and Ava nervously held her breath, still not entirely sure whether she should do this or not.

" _'Ello?"_ A smug voice came over the other end and Ava found herself unwillingly grinning. He apparently hadn't looked at who called, otherwise she'd be hearing an entirely different voice, that much she was sure of.

"Hey, Damon. Weird question but um, would you like to come over in a bit and help me cook dinner?" Ava said and nervously bit her bottom lip, holding her waist with her free arm as she paced through the kitchen.

As the silence kept on, she started to scold herself for being so stupid. He probably had better things to do, or for sure not wanting to spend more time with her than necessary. And why did she even ask him over?

Ava's thoughts were interrupted as Damon answered: " _Sure, be there in a minute."_ He replied and immediately hung up.

Ava stared dumbfounded at her screen as he so rudely hung up on her without even saying goodbye. "Ass." She mumbled to herself and just as he said, a minute later the doorbell rang.

Containing her smile, she quickly fixed her hair in the mirror that hung above the coat hooks and then opened the door with a modest smile. There she was met with a smugly looking Damon, holding a bottle of champagne and he handed it to her.

"What's this for?" Ava said in surprise and he walked in, straight to the living room and Ava closed the door, following him suit. "Well, it'd be rude come over empty handed, wouldn't it?" He said with a smirk and Ava shook her head with a laugh and then placed the bottle on the dining table.

"So, what are we cooking?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen and Ava followed, shrugging her shoulders. "Just a bit of everything." Damon nodded and Ava opened the fridge, getting some food out of there that would be suitable for dinner.

"Why don't you cut these vegetables?" Ava said and threw them at Damon, who easily caught it. "Sure, pumpkin." Ava started to fill a pan with water and placed it on the fireplace, letting it boil. "What's the deal with you calling me pumpkin, anyway?" Ava asked and Damon shrugged his shoulders, "It suits you."

Ava frowned, "It suits me? Why is that?" She asked and then teasingly added: "Damon Salvatore, are you telling me I look orange?" She dramatically placed a hand over her heart as she feigned hurt.

Damon chuckled, shaking his head, playing the game with her. "No, more like a pumpkin being related to Halloween. And everybody loves Halloween." He wiggled his eyebrows smugly. "So, you're saying everybody loves me, huh?" Damon nodded with a smirk, "Hey, if I can like you, you're for sure likable to anybody else on this planet."

Ava stared at him for a few seconds, "Thanks, I guess." Damon smirked again and continued cutting the vegetables and Ava turned the fire down, adding some broth to it and then she started to get the meat ready.

"So, what did you call me over for? Sure can't be for just helping you to cook. Was I just too irresistible?" He wiggled his eyebrows again with a huge smirk and Ava shook her head, "Just wanted to talk to you, Damon. Get to know you a little."

"Well, I'd be more than happy to answer. But first, you answer my question." Damon said. "Sure, ask away." Ava replied.

"Why isn't this house on your name?" He asked and Ava looked at him in confusion, wondering why that mattered and even more importantly: how did he know?

"Why does that matter?" Ava asked as she added the meatballs to the soup and Damon did the same with the vegetables. "The reason why Jason was able to get into the house, and why Stefan and I were able to get into the house is because a vampire can only get into the house when he's either invited in by the owner, or when the house has no owner." Damon explained and Ava stirred the soup, realizing it makes so much more sense now for his concern over that matter.

"Well, I still have some paperwork I needed to fill in, making the house mine being one of them." Ava told him and he took a step closer to her again, making her heart beat faster without her wanting to. "Well, make it a priority. As soon as this house is on your name, you'll already be a lot safer." Damon said and Ava nodded, swallowing away her nerves. Damon smirked when it became silent, probably hearing the sound of her heart speeding up.

By this time the soup was ready to be eaten and so Damon grabbed the spoons and Ava grabbed two bowls out of the cabinet, pouring in some soup for the both of them.

They took their places at the dining table, Ava sitting with her back to the kitchen and Damon sitting right in front of her. Damon took a sip of the soup and chewed on his vegetables, his eyebrows scrunching together for a bit. Ava chuckled, "Not a big fan of vegetables?" Damon shook his head, "Not my favorite food, no."

They finished their soup in a comfortable silence and then as Ava washed the bowls and the spoons, Damon went to light the fireplace.

Ava walked over to the living room when she was finished, taking a seat on the couch and Damon joined her, both keeping their eyes on the fire. Ava slowly looked to her left, watching his features carefully, not being able to imagine that this face could turn into a demon's face.

"I know I'm handsome, but really, if you want to stare, you should do it a bit more subtler." Damon said with a smirk and then turned to look at her. Ava rolled her eyes, "Tell me about the vampire life." She suddenly said and Damon raised his eyebrows for a second.

"Well, being a vampire heightens your senses. You hear better, see better, you're able to smell things better and well, I'd like to tell you that you taste things better, but that's not entirely true. I'd prefer my human taste buds over my vampire taste buds. You see, if you're programmed to feed on blood, human food doesn't taste all that great anymore. But you're also really fast and you heal exceptionally well." Damon said, naming all the perks of being a vampire.

"Well, what's the bad thing about being a vampire?" Ava asked, wanting to know everything. Damon chuckled, "I don't think I'm the best person to answer that question, Ava. I'm well known to enjoy being a vampire."

"So you enjoy killing people?" Ava asked with a judging expression and Damon turned serious, "Who said we had to kill? You see, we can muster this self control to not drain someone of their blood entirely. And then we can compel them to forget it ever happened. But yes, over the years I grew to love the hunt and kill. Haven't done it much over the past few years, I got to say." Damon said and Ava smoothened her features, "Well, there must be something you don't like, right?"

"I don't really think I can be the one to answer that question, Ava. But I'm sure that Stefan and Elena can. You should ask them." Damon gently said and Ava nodded, making sure to do that when seeing them next time.

"Would you ever consider becoming a vampire?" Damon wondered out loud. "No." Ava immediately replied. "Why would I ever want to become the same monster that murdered my family?" Damon's expression dropped. "Not all vampires are like that. Take Stefan and Elena for example, they never murdered their family."

"Don't fool me, Damon. Sure, they might have not killed their family, but they still killed people at some point in their life." Ava then thought back to what he said a few seconds ago. "Why didn't you include yourself?" Damon sighed. "I did some things I'm not proud of, Ava. One includes murdering my nephew and his wife." Ava's face dropped. Great, of course she had to have an interest for the murderous type.

Ava swallowed, "Well, I'm sure you had your reasons." She said with a forced smile but Damon shook his head. "I didn't, actually. Back then my humanity switch was off. I didn't care about anything and when I got angry I murdered his wife. Years later I murdered my great nephew." Damon explained and Ava sighed. She wanted to judge him for his past, but she knew that wasn't the solution.

Ava yawned and grabbed a brown throw blanket off the other couch. She turned her body slightly and let her legs fall on Damon's lap, throwing the blanket over her legs. Damon raised his eyebrows but then smirked as he shook his head.

"What did you think of me when we first met?" Ava asked as she closed her eyes, the comfort of the warm fireplace and the soft fabric of the couch making her feel a little drowsy. "I was actually just thinking you were yet another annoying little human my brother had to offer his help to." Damon said and Ava scoffed, "Then how come you helped me nonetheless when we met again in the Mystic Grill? Stefan wasn't around, you didn't have to do it for him."

"Believe it or not, but time has changed me. I'm not the same man I was years ago, and I'm not saying I'm planning on befriending humans, but I do think they're worth a try. Just wanted to see what kind of a person you are. Got to say, never expected this all to happen when we met yesterday." Ava let out a humorless laugh, "Trust me, I never expected to be willing to befriend a vampire just a few days ago."

"So, you thought about it, huh?" Damon spoke and Ava nodded her head, feeling her eyes getting heavier. "I believe there is something good in everyone, Damon. And I cannot be blinded by hatred to not try to discover whatever that might be. You three deserve a chance." Ava said sleepily.

"Even a man like me?" Damon asked and Ava smiled lazily, "Even a man like you, Damon." And with that, she unwillingly drifted off to sleep, being drained of her energy from all the events that happened today.


End file.
